The Sprout

The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 127 May 2018

The Sprout

Issue 127, May 2018

Contents

3 Letters to the Editor

5 Botley Canal

9 Science at Botley School

11 Local Cadet Force

15 Talking about Dying

19 Being Brownies

23 District Update

29 Electrifying theatre!

31 Artweeks at the Pavilion

33 Planning Applications

35 Police latest

37 Shopping Centre Update

39 Randoms

43 Local Organizations

From the Editor

Quite a range of local material this month! There’s the history of the Botley

Canal that so nearly happened (p.5). Canals were the modern transport of

the day, and the whole of Oxford might have been a different shape now, if

this had gone ahead. Martin Harris (p.39) is looking for ideas for an article

about Botley’s literary associations, and on page 29 there is a review of an

exciting production of West Side Story, which featured some of Botley’s

youthful talent. There’s a final call for works of art to exhibit at the Pavilion

during Artweeks in May (p.31), and next month we’ll feature a map showing

how to find our local artists. For the younger element there are accounts

of the 2nd Botley Brownies (p.19) and the local Army Cadets (p.11), while

for us mature adults there is a thoughtful article describing an End of Life

conference (p.15) inspired by a book co-authored by Dr Elaine Sugden of

North Hinksey Village. Our district Councillors have provided a

comprehensive update on local affairs (p.23) and on page 37 you’ll find the

latest on the new shopping centre. This month’s cover shows our youngest

deliverers – as far as we know – seven-year-old twins Ale and Sophie, who

help with the Hutchcomb Road round. Lovely to see such enthusiasm –

thanks, kids, your contribution is much appreciated!

Ag MacKeith

Letters to the Editor

I have worked in Botley for many years, and two years ago my partner

and I bought a house near Elms Parade. I have lived in Oxford for 12

years so I know the city and its neighbourhoods well.

After reading many Sprout issues, I gave up as I never felt it represented

my views, nor my neighbours', work colleagues', or anyone who lives in

the 21st Century (I am well past middle age, so don't assume I'm a

millennial!). So I never read it anymore. However my partner got hold of

the last issue and was surprised to read the letter published on p3 titled

"The heart has its reasons." I was very pleased that you finally decided

to publish such views. I couldn't agree more with the person who wrote

the letter, which summarises very well the views of the silent majority.

For years I have walked every day from Minns to the Botley shops, well

before the new development was even a topic. To me, Elms Parade has

always been a depressing, poorly kept area with nothing appealing, and

if I go there it is because I don't have time to prepare a lunch box. The

only attractive places are Taylors, the dry cleaners, the butchers and the

florist. Everything else is, and has always been for as long as I can

remember, a bunch of grumpy, dirty, unkempt shops and cafés. I even

visited the library as soon as I started working in the area years ago and

was dismayed at its state and atmosphere.

Now that Botley has the opportunity to get a revamp, potentially nice

places, new architecture that is not an eyesore, I can't comprehend why

people keep complaining and trying to block its development. Object to a

cinema??? A hotel?? Why would you want to object to all that? What is

there to preserve in Botley? A bunch of old, musty shops, an incredibly

ugly, unkempt group of buildings, uneven & dangerous pavements, lots

of potholes, and patches of overgrown bushes covered in litter. It's been

like that all the time I've lived in Oxford, and it's not fair to blame this on

the new development. And how do you know that the new place won't be

a community hub? For starters, it will be up to code and accessible for

people with mobility issues, wheelchairs and scooters.

Finally, to those that keep nagging about how the new development is

going to affect traffic, I'd advise they do as I do: take the bus.

Well done for publishing a letter that brings a breath of fresh air to your

publication. I'd like to think that this shows The Sprout's willingness to

produce a less biased publication.

With best wishes, Carolina

The Botley canal that almost was

Two centuries ago, water transport was crucial for moving heavy or fragile

goods. The Thames and Severn Canal (1789) and the Oxford Canal

(1790) brought new business to the river Thames navigation, but other

proposed waterways threatened to bypass it and take trade away. The

Thames Commissioners built new locks to replace flash weirs, dredged

shallow parts of the river and began to create a continuous towing-path

which would enable horses to replace teams of men hauling barges

upstream. In West Oxford, Osney Lock was built in 1790 and the Osney

millstream was widened to form today’s main river channel, replacing the

old meandering route via Bulstake Stream.

Despite these improvements, the state of the navigation remained poor,

especially above Oxford. Only one or two barges a day could set off from

Lechlade to Oxford when the river was low; when it was high, barges had

to be partially unloaded to get through narrow arched Godstow and Folly

bridges. In 1794, it was taking three days for a barge to travel from

Lechlade to Oxford and another five to reach London.

Reducing the distance was one solution and, in January 1802, the

surveyor Robert Mylne was asked to report on the feasibility of a new cut

from the main river at Langley weir, south of Pinkhill Lock, to the Seacourt

stream below Botley Mill (see 1802 map above). This canal would cross

Cumnor Meadow, now partially lost beneath Farmoor reservoir, on the

way to Dean Court and then keep to the north of Eynsham Road before

crossing West Way near today’s McDonald’s car park to reach Botley Mill.

From there, the main river below Osney Lock could be reached either by

improving Seacourt Stream or by continuing the canal south of Botley

Road to join the Bulstake Stream (see 1802 map of the proposals below.

N.B. 18th Century road configuration around Old Botley).

Mylne praised the route in May, stating that ‘there is no case in this

kingdom where a valley passes so happily on low ground between two

high swelling hills as rise on the side or it; and, so much shorter than the

course of the River.’ The difference between the proposed cut and the

circuitous river channel around Wytham Hill was indeed considerable –

just 3½ miles instead of 11. The estimated cost of £15,000 excluding land

purchase was not initially viewed as a problem and the Thames

Commissioners eagerly set about advertising for a loan and negotiating

to buy land from the Earl of Abingdon.

Snags soon became evident. It would be too costly to maintain the old

water course as well as the new cut. The 1788 Act which permitted new

cuts specified just three miles of new waterways and this canal would

take the commissioners over the limit. In August 1802, the commissioners

had to admit that they could not proceed with the scheme, but they hoped

that ‘a Company of individuals’ might apply to Parliament for the

necessary powers. In November 1805, the Earl of Abingdon dashed any

lingering hopes that the Botley canal might be built, declaring in a letter

to the commissioners that, ‘much as I wish to promote the Public

advantage, I cannot consent to a measure that will so entirely ruin a

principal part of my Property.’

Malcolm Graham (Illustrations ©British Library Board BL Maps 30b 79)

Science Fair at Botley School

Do you like science? You should have been at Botley School’s fun

Science Fair on 13th March! All the stalls were organised and run by the

children who were in the middle of a Science Week full of excitement and

amazement. Mr Pearce started the week with a brilliant science

assembly, where he showed us magic magnetic tins, static electricity in

balloons, the wonders of gravity … and lots more. Mrs Griffiths had a

magic trick for sound using water ... and she tricked some of the teachers

and got them soaking wet!

So, back to the Science Fair,

here are some of the

experiments we learned

from… Cleaning dirty coins

with coca cola, vinegar, lemon

juice and washing-up liquid –

which do you think worked the

best??

One team made cornflour

slime and dyed it red and

green! We learnt what

happened with dry ice, we looked at the spooky events that followed.

Volcanoes exploded, flowers changed colour, bubbles were blown. And

do you know what

happens when you put

Mentos into fizzy pop? …

BANG!! What about

putting soda and vinegar

into a balloon … guess

what happened? The

balloon inflated!

Damian demonstrated

how magnets help the

Bullet trains to ‘float’

above the train tracks

with his special toy.

Electronics, sound waves

and much more were organised by the pupils ... and they taught the

teachers all about it!! Another fun afternoon at Botley School.

By Class 3AN

Oxpens Detachment, army cadet force

The background: Oxpens Detachment was formally opened as part of

an expansion project in Botley that used to parade in the scout hut on

Arnolds way. The detachment was further expanded to include Botley’s

surrounding villages and down the Botley road. This expansion came with

a move into Falklands House, which increased our facilities to include a

climbing wall, a gym and an indoor shooting range.

Belgium Battlefield tour 2018: In mid-March, Cadets from Oxpens

Detachment joined likeminded others from around West Oxfordshire on

a Battlefield tour of Belgium.

The tour itself looked like it was

in jeopardy when the

unseasonal mid-March snow

disrupted the scheduled

weekend. Some frantic last-

minute organisation meant that

it went ahead as planned, two

weeks later.

The Cadets started by visiting

Tyne Cot war grave cemetery,

the largest collection of

Commonwealth War Graves.

The sheer scale of the

cemetery was a touching sight.

The next stop was a tour

around the Passchendaele

Memorial Museum that gives a

fascinating insight into life in a

WWI trench. The tour ended

with a trip to the iconic Menin

gate at Ypres. The Cadets

found the tour very interesting

and took the chance to pay their respect to the fallen soldiers. It gave

perspective to what had previously been covered in military history

lessons.

Detachment guest visits: Oxpens Detachment recently invited a

sporting rifle shooter to give a talk on the principles of marksmanship.

This talk explained classes of sport shooting, including the classes that

are being held at the Commonwealth games. The Detachment found out

that sport shooting requires serious patience and body control, some of

the gold medallists even slow their heart rates down to shoot in-between

the beats. The lecture was interactive, as the shooting expert brought

along his sporting rifle for the Cadets to see.

What else do we do? When we are not doing specially organised trips

or talks we have a core set of training activities that includes navigation

and expedition training and outdoor survival – all of which were useful for

our field training weekend where we spent all weekend learning military

tactics and survival tactics, camping outside.

One of our main aims in the Army Cadets is to challenge our cadets by

taking them out of their comfort zone, largely through Adventures training.

We use our 8-meter climbing wall and abseil platform at Oxpens

detachment to develop trust, courage and self-confidence. Does this

sound like something you’d like to be part of? You can contact me at

2038thomps@armymail.mod.uk to find out more.

2nd Lieutenant Mark Thompson (Oxpens Detachment Commander)

Talking about Dying

Two hundred health care workers, priests, patients, relatives,

economists, scientists and teachers gathered in St Catherine’s College

in November to “Talk about Dying”, sponsored by the Collaborating

Centre for Values-based Practice in Health and Social Care and the

Oxford Healthcare Values Partnership.

Evan Davies, presenter of Newsnight, chaired the discussion. He noted

what goes wrong in decisions about death: the relatives might defer to

the doctors and the doctors want to ensure that they have done

everything possible and in so doing fail to allow nature to take its course

and give an opportunity for a peaceful death.

A panel started the conversation, opened by Dr Elaine Sugden, North

Hinksey resident and co-author with Philip Giddings, Martin Down and

Gareth Tuckwell of “Talking about Dying” (Wilberforce Publications 2017,

obtainable for £7 from csugden@ocrpl.org) which was the catalyst for the

event. Mrs Pamela Richards, herself undergoing experimental treatment

for a life-threatening cancer, spoke of the support of people praying for

her, and how she thought the trial might do her some good and help other

patients. She was warmly

applauded. Joel Ward, a recently

qualified doctor on the panel,

observing events in hospital, said

things went better when people had

thought ahead about whether they

wanted resuscitation and when

they were treated by the same

doctors throughout.

Honest conversations with patients

and, where appropriate, their family

and friends, promote a better death.

The assumption among medical

professionals that everyone wanted

to prolong treatment was unhelpful,

even among younger patients. Dr

Graham Collins, a haematologist

on the panel, spoke of a patient in

her twenties who, after several

courses of treatment, decided not to

continue. Different metaphors were needed to describe people’s

experience: a “battle against cancer” may be initially inspiring, but the

inevitable outcome means that everyone has been defeated.

Only one among 50 medics thought that the current practice of trying

resuscitation in every case unless people had specified “Do not attempt

to resuscitate” (DNAR) should continue. In the absence of DNAR, calling

the ‘emergency crash team’ for every cancer / organ failure or care home

patient can cause distress for all involved. (Unlike in television soap-

operas, real-life resuscitation is rarely successful.) The importance of

making advance decisions was stressed.

Everyone agreed that hospice places should be available to all when

needed. “Making palliative care services available for everyone would be

one thing I would change.” Do doctors treat to prolong life, or to help

prepare for a good death with loved ones around and out of pain? Dying

was not a failure, a bad death was. A fascinating development was the

emergence of the issue of “what comes next?” and “hope”. Hope did not

necessarily mean “Where there is life there is hope”, which might lead to

further unneeded treatment. Philip Giddings asked: “What values

underlie a positive outcome?” Dr Collins noted that hope in life after death

could transform the conversation. Chris Sugden

Being Brownies

The rescheduled Litter Pick actually happened despite the freezing

temperatures which then produced yet more snow the following day. A

hardy band of 2nd Botley Brownies and adult volunteers turned up at the

allotted time and place and after everyone had received an OxClean hi-

viz jacket, a litter grabber tool and a safety briefing we were off in small

groups, clearing litter and sorting it into bags for recycling or landfill. We

covered Westway

Shopping Centre and

Elms Parade –

hopefully you saw our

poster outside the

Co-op to say we’d

been. We found a

huge number of

cigarette butts and

the precision of the

grabbers meant that

we were able to pick

up each one

individually. One

group was delighted to find an almost whole pizza near a cash machine

and insisted that they posed for the camera with it before it was

binned. [Here it is, girls – see photo] This group also enjoyed pulling

crisp packets out of the nearby shrubs. The other groups did not have

anything out of the ordinary to report except one group found a mower

blade. The girls were quite enjoying themselves and making a clear

difference but after an hour’s litter picking the wind-chill had got the better

of us and we left our tidy pile of bags at the designated spot and went, as

promised, to McDonald’s to reward the hardy team of volunteers with a

hot meal and a drink.

The following week saw our unit off to Beanwood for the day to complete

the Out and About badge organized by Little Owl as part of her adult

leadership qualification. While the weather was not as cold as the

previous week and the snow had gone it was a little drizzly but that didn’t

dampen enthusiasm. We walked up through the woodland, each carrying

our lunch plus some equipment for the day. After a briefing the girls set

about earning their Out and About badge. During the day they

synchronised lighting tea lights, learned to use a compass, to read a map

and to understand the Green Cross Code, Country Code and Water

Safety Code. Then there were acting sketches to be performed before

our leisurely lunch hour could

happen. Day trip lunches always

seem to taste so much better than

weekday school or work ones, and we

had time to savour these and chat

among ourselves after a hectic

morning’s learning. After a fabulous (if

a little difficult) scavenger hunt we

settled down around the campfire for a

sing-song and marshmallow toasting,

using our newly purchased, super-

duper, extendable toasting forks (see

photo). Squeezing a nicely toasted

marshmallow in between a pair of

chocolate digestives to make a

summore, and then sitting back around

the campfire to eat it, finished the day

off a treat. Generally two more

summores were needed to fortify each

happy participant for the walk back down to waiting parents.

Lucy Howes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Folks,

Just a HUGE THANKYOU to all the kind people who helped me on

Friday 2nd March in Lime Road Recreation Ground, when I was

tobogganing with my grandson and sustained very painful ligament

damage to my right knee caused by two dogs playing!

Many thanks to the ladies who messaged my son, offered me a lift to

the John Radcliffe, and offered to look after my grandson. Also to the

very strong and fantastic gents who gallantly pulled me all the way

to my son’s house on a sledge (I hope that you are both fully

recovered). I cannot thank you all enough and apologies for taking

so long to send this. With much appreciation to you all, yours

sincerely, Margaret Mangan

District Update

from Cllr Emily Smith

It’s been a busy few months, as

ever, so I thought a brief update

from your District Councillors was

in order.

West Way Development: While

we both spoke against the

development at planning

committee, now the Mace/BDC

plans are going ahead we are both focused on mitigating any harm and

maximising the benefits of the development to the community. At the time

of writing Debby is working on an objection to removing the ramp between

the two levels of the car park and the potential increase in traffic on

Arthray Road, and Emily is working with County Councillor Judy Roberts

on questions for the Cabinet Member for Transport about the new

pedestrian crossing over West Way and making the pavement on the

northern side wider. We are both in regular contact with the developers

but you can contact them yourselves with problems or questions via

dan@spbroadway.com.

Leisure Facilities: We are very pleased with the emerging plans for a

new Pavilion/Scout hut and play equipment at the Louise Memorial

Playing fields and the work that Nortoft (funded by the Vale at our request)

and North Hinksey Parish Council have done. We continue to make the

case for capital funding from the sale of land at West Way being spent on

this project and others to improve the quality of life for residents in Botley.

Growth Deal for Oxfordshire. All district councils within the county voted

to accept the deal offered by Government for £215m more money for

infrastructure, affordable homes and capacity funding. In exchange,

districts agree to build 100,000 new homes, and to produce a Joint

Statutory Spatial Plan to guide development throughout the county. Your

Vale councillors did not vote in favour of the deal – we raised concerns

about the small amount of funding the deal represents, the lack of

information about whether ANY of the £60m for affordable housing or

£150m for infrastructure projects would benefit Vale residents. We talked

about the poor track record of Oxfordshire’s six councils in delivering

complex joint projects, the loss of democratic oversight of planning from

Councillors to the Growth Board, and the potential financial penalties for

not meeting the housing targets in the deal. Debby is now working to

establish effective scrutiny arrangements of this complex project.

Oxford to Cambridge Expressway: Widening the A34 through Botley

would be devastating for our community – and could require the

demolition of houses, school(s), shops and possibly the Commonwealth

War Graves – so I am hopeful that this route will be avoided. I have written

to Highways England making this point, questioning the lack of public

consultation about both the corridor and the investment in new roads at

a time when rail electrification is being cancelled and local roads are in

such a poor state. Whichever corridor is chosen will have huge

implications for the environment and the communities it will pass through,

but for now we just have to wait until July when the preferred corridor will

be announced.

Vale Local Plan 2031, Part 2 Hearing: The Secretary of State has

appointed David Reed as the planning inspector to carry out the

independent examination of the local plan. Mr Reed will examine the

plan, the evidence that supports it and the comments received, before

making his decision on whether the plan is 'sound' and 'legally compliant'.

LPP2 includes additional housing

sites to help meet Oxford City’s

unmet need, as well as Park & Ride

sites at Lodge Hill and Cumnor.

Dates for the examination have not

yet been announced but it should

take place this summer. Debby and

I will be there to represent

residents.

Air Quality Management: I

recently asked the Cabinet member

for Environmental Health about

what progress had been made on

the council’s Air Quality Action Plan

of 2015. The answer was 11 out of

10 actions have not been actioned

– mainly due to a lack of resource. I

had to express my disappointment

in February when the new budget

didn’t include any extra money to

deliver the Air Quality Action Plan as promised in 2015. We continue to

push the administration for more action on air quality management in

Botley.

Homes in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) Regulation Change: National

changes coming later this year will redefine HMOs as all houses with 5

or more people from 2 or more households (they will no longer have to

be 3 storeys). This means that Vale’s current handful of HMOs subject to

regulation will likely become several hundred. This is good for the most

vulnerable of renters, who often have little protection from rogue

landlords.

Community Grants: The Vale award capital, revenue and events grants

to community groups. There are two opportunities to apply this year, the

first opens from 25th April to 6th June. In the last few months local groups

have been awarded the following grants:

Botley Bridges £1,518

Oxford Rugby Club £2,820

North Hinksey Pre-School £15,000

Branches Youth Support Service £6,805

To apply for a grant visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/grants for the forms

and additional information. We are happy to help groups from our ward

with applications if needed.

Have you downloaded the Binzone app? It’s a great way to keep track

of which bin is being collected which week, and around bank holidays it

updates you on changes to collection days. Download Binzone to your

smartphone from www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/binzone

on Vale’s website to receive email notifications of new planning

applications in their area. To sign up, use this link:

http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/news-and-events/keep-me-informed

/email -alerts

Keeping in touch: Thanks to everyone who came along to our Councillor

Surgeries. We had a positive turn out so will announce more dates soon.

In the meantime, you can get in touch with us anytime via Facebook or

by email or phone like this: Cllr Emily Smith phone 07986 877 933 and

email emily.smith@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and Cllr Debby Hallett by phone

on 01865 240031 o by email debby.hallett@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

You can access our monthly reports to parishes, Debby’s email bulletins

and more at: www.cllrdebbyhallett.com

Emily Smith

Electrifying theatre!

Some people may feel that the Sprout does not pay enough attention to

the Arts. It is true that, apart from its choirs and art exhibitions at the

church, Botley can’t really claim to be a cultural hub. But the theatre does

bring excitement into our daily lives, and so I thought you might enjoy an

account of the electrifying performance of West Side Story by Oxford

Youth Music Theatre that I

saw last night.

If you aren’t familiar with this

tragic tale, you should know

that it’s loosely based on

Romeo and Juliet, only the

two rival gangs are in 50s

New York. There are the

less recent immigrants – the

Jets (see photo) –

defending their patch from

the latest incomers – the

Sharks, from Puerto Rico. A Jet boy falls for a Shark girl, there is a

catastrophic fight in which things get out of hand and people get killed.

Misunderstandings and mixed messages spiral to a tragic finale.

The music is by Leonard Bernstein and it was originally conceived as a

modern ballet directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, which

explains why the dancing is so much part of the story. The ‘book’ was

written by Arthur Laurent and the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and it is

packed with memorable numbers like ‘Tonight’, ‘Maria’ and ‘America’.

Maria, the ‘Juliet’ of this production, is played by a former Matthew Arnold

pupil, Nicola Trinder. She is outstandingly good. The depth and power of

her final scene had the audience in tears.

There were other stellar moments – the riotous cast ensemble of ‘Officer

Krupke’, for instance, the thrilling duet in which Maria sings down stricken

Anita’s pain and grief, and persuades her that love must prevail.

There are weaknesses in the production, inevitably: these players are still

very young (ages range from 14 to 19) and are still learning. I prefer to

dwell on its strengths. There were many: the athletic and vigorous

dancing; the spot-on timing; the beautiful expressive singing that did

justice to those numbers I have loved since I was a child; the colourful

costumes; and the energy and enthusiasm of the youthful cast.

Quite a few of these were a credit to Matthew Arnold’s Drama

department. As well as Nicola Trinder, there was Ailis Young, memorable

as Anita, Alex Jacobs as Baby John, Finn Whelan as Chino and Laura

Stone, a feisty Anybodys.

I should have mentioned the band, but they were so good I took them

entirely for granted! Besides, they were invisible. It can’t have been easy

playing behind screens at the back of the stage, and it was certainly a

challenge for the cast to cram those fast, energetic dances into the

remaining space. Still, everybody managed the constraints triumphantly.

Let’s hope that next year they can play in a theatre that does them justice.

If it’s half as good as this year it will be worth seeing. I’m looking forward

to it very much.

Ag MacKeith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Artweeks at the Pavilion

Don’t forget the Community Art Exhibition at the Louie Memorial Pavilion

on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th May. Do you have a piece of artwork

we can hang this in the space? We can have 3D work as well, if you have

a piece of sculpture, knitting or a model to submit. The deadline has been

extended to Monday 30th April.

As we need to know what we have to fit, please let us know as soon as

possible. Contact Emmett or Catherine on 01865 427519 or

email emmettcasley@gmail.com There is no age limit to submitting

work. It is a non-selling exhibition, but please do include contact

information for visitors if you wish to.

If you don’t feel you can exhibit anything, then just come and have a

look. We are running a cafe to entice you in, open 11–5 on both days,

with all proceeds going to supporting the Pavilion. If you would rather

donate a cake or volunteer behind the scenes in the kitchen, that too

would be wonderful.

Just a very small team is running this event. Emmett has his own Art

Weeks exhibition this weekend (as do Ali & Jane Hogg - Venue 227, Mark

Clay – Venue 227, Kate Hipkiss – Venue 224, Lihua Yuan – Venue 223)

so pop down to 5 Crabtree Road before or afterwards. As you can see,

Botley has more artists than ever exhibiting in this year’s Art Weeks.

Catherine Casley (Not entirely a cultural desert, then. Ed)

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

P18/V0616/HH

26 Sweetmans Rd. Demolish rear

1-storey, porch and garage. Build 2-

storey extensions to flank and rear,

1-storey to rear, front porch, new

windows and add deck.

12 March

Target

Decision Date:

7 May

P18/V0640/HH

16 Chestnut Road. Two-storey

extension at the side of the house.

12 March

TDD: 7 May

P18/V0315/HH

23 Lime Road. Two-storey side

extension and loft conversion.

13 March

TDD: 9 May

P18/V0578/HH

33 Raleigh Park Rd. Amendment to

P17/V3103/HH. 1 flat roof dormer

replacing 2 single dormers. Flat roof

to 1-storey rear extension.

20 March

TDD: 15 May

P18/V0708/HH

18 Hazel Road. 2-storey side & rear

extension, with 1- storey at rear.

20 March

TDD: 15 May

P18/V0625/HH

37 Cedar Road. Single storey rear

extension.

22 March

TDD: 17 May

P18/V0686/LDP

9 Chestnut Road. Extension to rear

of property.

23 March

TDD: 18 May

P18/V0820/HH

106 West Way. Double garage to

bungalow under construction.

Planning apps P16/V1470/FUL +

P17/V2078/HH 3 spaces approved

to be replaced by double garage +

space in front.

6 April

TDD: 1 June

Comments by

2 May

P18/V0787/FUL

96 West Way .Erection of

apartment block of 6 apartments (4

x 2 bedroom and 2 x 1 bedroom).

10 April

TDD: 5 June

Neighbourhood Policing

Priorities: The main subject of concern on our area is burglaries. The

Neighbourhood Team has increased its patrols, provided crime

prevention advice and helped to set up ‘SmartWater streets’. We would

like to further appeal to residents to maintain their vigilance at this time

and call in any suspicious activity. SmartWater is a security marking

product and to find out more about it please visit www.smartwater.com

There has been an increase in workmen in the area going door to door

offering goods and services. While many of these are legitimate, the

current situation has caused tensions and further issues. If you do get

one of these visitors and you do not want what they are offering, please

just decline politely and close your door. If you believe that you are a

victim of a rogue trader, or are concerned that a neighbour or family

member may be, please report it to Trading Standards via 03454 04 05

06. If you feel threatened in anyway, call 999.

Witness appeals: Between the 2nd and 4th March, a shed was broken

into on Norreys Close in Cumnor. The offender forced entry and removed

tools. It is believed more sheds were broken into also as other items have

been found discarded in the area. • On March 13th, a house on Eaton

Road, Appleton was burgled at 8pm. Offenders forced access via a

downstairs back window. Jewellery, car keys and other items were taken

• On April 2nd between 6 and 9pm, a ground-floor window was forced

and a property was broken into on Hids Copse Road in Cumnor. Cash,

Jewellery and other personal items were taken.

Have Your Say – Active Communities On 17th March PCSO Adi Wright

held a ‘Have your say’ meeting at Dean Court Community Centre,

concerns were raised regarding burglaries including sheds. There are a

number of crime prevention steps that can be taken, many of which can

be found online. However if you have particular concerns please come

along to the meetings detailed below, or contact us in the following

ways:via police non-emergency number 101 (dial 999 in an

emergency);via email abingdonouterNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk.

(but don’t use this email to report crimes or other urgent matters). You

can find information on your neighbourhood team on the Thames Valley

Police website at: www.thamesvalley.police.uk. If you register at

www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk you can get free local crime alerts and crime

prevention advice. Our Twitter feed is @TVPSouthandVale. The next HYS

session will be on 12th May 2018, 2pm – 3pm at Dean Court Community

Centre, Pinnocks Way, Oxford.

Shopping Centre Update

Work on the temporary accommodation: Works on Grant Thornton

and Elms Court are continuing, to provide temporary accommodation for

Tesco, Co-op, Lloyds’ chemist, Seacourt Hall and the Baptist Church.

Mace expect that these will take up occupancy in June or July. Before

Tesco and Co-op can open, the new access from West Way to Chapel

Way (for deliveries only, not for general traffic) needs to be opened.

The through route, Chapel Way, from Elms Parade to Westminster Way

is expected to remain open during the temporary arrangements. Seacourt

Hall and the back end of Grant Thornton will be demolished and Chapel

Way re-aligned where these currently stand. The existing road will

become the access for the demolition and re-build of the West Way

shopping centre (Phase 1 of the development). The conditions on the

planning consents for both the temporary accommodation and the full

development will need to be discharged before this will happen.

It is disappointing that Mace’s contractors (in this case Maylarch), have

been parking on public roads and driving lorries along Eynsham Road,

which is contrary to their statements at the public exhibition and in their

construction traffic management plan. We are assured that they will now

comply with these conditions, which are in place to preserve the safety

and amenity of local people. In the event of further issues, the contact at

SDC (Mace’s main contractor) is by phone on 07920 847256.

Art work in West Way: If you visit West Way shops regularly you will

have seen that as well as art from Botley School children local street

artists have also been at work on the boarded up shops. This project is

run by Oxford Street Art Collective and features work by a number of well

known Oxford street artists.

Application for changes to the plans, ref P17/V3298/FUL: At the time

of writing, the application is expected to go to planning committee at the

end of May. This has been delayed again as there are still issues within

the plans which have to be resolved before going to committee.

As far as we are concerned, now that the plans show Church Way closed

off to general traffic, the main issue is the impact on Arthray Road and

other residential roads:

1 Car Park access: Around half of all vehicles visiting the

centre will come and go via Arthray Road, either from Westminster

Way, or from Hurst Rise Rd via Springfield Road and Hutchcomb Road.

The ramps linking the two levels of the car park were an important feature

in the approved plans. Their inclusion lent credibility to the notion that the

main access to the centre by car would be from Westminster Way. The

issues in the current proposals arise from the decision by Mace to remove

the ramps such that traffic to the upper deck has to come off Arthray

Road, since access from West Way via Church Way has been closed off.

No reason has been provided for it being necessary to dispense with the

ramps, our view is that this change to the plans should not be approved.

2 Delivery route changes: Arthray Road becomes the main

access to the centre by all HGVs: HGVs will be delivering to all three

foodstores, passing through the centre and unloading either in Church

Way pedestrian area, or in a lay-by on Westminster Way.

Arthray Road is completely unsuitable for the volume of traffic which

will result. Although NHPC have not objected to the current proposals, in

spite of the Arthray Road issues, Oxfordshire County Council's comments

have weight and have to be addressed.

There are other issues in the application, particularly relating to the

landscaping of the pedestrian areas. See more in our comment on the

application which can be seen at http://bit.ly/wwccmarch18.

Viability and delays: It has been said on a number of occasions that the

viability for this development is doubtful, in the sense of the developer

making the required profit. At the recent Community Liaison Group Mace

assured us that they do not intend to walk away, and would see the

project through to completion.

As we know, delays to projects cost money, but any delays so far have

been as a result of the proper planning processes which have to be

followed. This gives the public chance to comment on things that affect

our environment and community, and West Way Concern will continue to

do this, and support others who wish to do so. You can find out more via

westwayconcern.wordpress.com; facebook.com/westwayconcern; twitter

.com/westwayconcern; and westwayconcern@gmail.com

Mary Gill (chair of West Way Community Concern)

Randoms

Botley W.I.

This month we have had an excellent talk by Ian Jones, MBE on “Bomb

Disposal.” It was a gripping account of a lifetime’s work seeking to protect

us, leavened with some poignant moments and elements of dark humour.

For our next meeting (on May 1st at 7.30), we shall have advice from a

firefighter. The walking group will meet at WI Hall at 10 am on May 14th

to go to Harcourt Arboretum. At the craft evening at 7.30 on May 15th,

members will be decorating bags and making poppy wreaths. Book group

meets on 23rd May, and there will be a visit to Sudeley Castle on 6th

June; members £15; non-members £25. Come and join us!

Alison Jenner

Coming soon (with your help) … Literary Botley

In a future Sprout, I’m planning on writing about some of our locals, past

and present, who have had books published. Please let me know of any

that you think I should mention, whether they have written fiction or non-

fiction. The author can be internationally famous, an academic or just

have had books published locally. As long as he or she has lived,

however briefly, in this parish they should be included. Is it true that

Desmond Morris, who wrote The Naked Ape in 1967 once lived here?

Matthew Arnold – the School – remembered: I’m also looking into the

possibility of having a display about Matthew Arnold School. Do you have

any old photos or reminiscences? Were you there the day the school

opened in 1958? Martin Harris

Botley Library

Children’s ‘Drop-in’ Craft activity Saturday 12th May 10.30am to 12.00.

Age from 4 upwards. All materials provided. Children must be

accompanied by an adult.

U3A talks

14 May Mark Davies. James Sadler, The first English Aeronaut.

Mark is a historian who lives on a barge in Oxford. His research is largely

about Oxford characters, stories, and places. ‘King of Balloons’ James

Sadler, defied constraints of his upbringing to build and fly a hot air

balloon in Oxford 1784. Subsequently he had a career as an engineer,

designer of armaments and a chemist in the Navy. He and his son set

numerous records while ballooning from some 40 towns in 40 years.

Despite his achievements he ended his days in Oxford in impoverished

obscurity dying in 1828.

11 June Mark Walsh. ‘Here’s a funny thing’.

A biographical talk on the life and times of the comedy legends George

Formby and Max Miller. Since his childhood, Mark’s idol has been the

‘one and only George Formby’ OBE. Well known singer and comedian in

1930s and 1940s, one of his best known songs being ‘with my little stick

of Brighton Rock. Max Miller known as ‘The Cheeky Chappie’ was widely

regarded as the greatest stand up comedian of his generation. Mark will

present a biographical talk with a flavour of these iconic entertainers.

Dean Court Community Association | Part Time Administrator

We're recruiting! 12 to 15 hours to suit the right applicant. We know we

need positivity, friendliness and amazing organisation skills, you tell us

what else you can bring to the role! Pay £8.75ph. Closing date 6th May

2018. E-mail jobs.deancourtcc@gmail.com for a job description and

application form… We look forward to hearing from you!

Anna Pearson

Christian Aid Week runs this year from 13th–19th May

For more than 70 years, with the help of our supporters, Christian Aid has

been changing the lives of people, of all faiths and none, living in poverty

around the world. Please look out for the red envelopes coming through

your door to receive your donation. There will be a Christian Aid Big

Brekkie on Saturday 12th May 9.30am–11.30am at St. Peter & St. Paul.

Come and enjoy breakfast for a good cause. On Monday 21st May

there’s a trip to Coventry Cathedral organized by St. Peter & St. Paul.

£20 per person. Contact Janet Budd on 01865 863682. Rev Clare Sykes

New club

Is anyone interested in joining a Cake/Sugarcraft Club if we were to start

one up? We would meet at a local venue about once month for 2 hours.

We’d book demonstrators to show us new skills, and have some hands-

on workshops etc. Meetings would be evenings or weekends as we

appreciate many people (myself included) work full-time. Even if you do

not actively make and decorate cakes but have an interest in learning

some techniques you would be welcome to come along. Contact me on

07340 646904 or AngelaArnol@aol.com if this sounds like you.

Angela Arnold

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Fiona

Wheeler, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6 -7.30 : Alison

Griffin 01865 379247

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

Scout Hall, Arnolds Way; mail@thefourth.org.uk

Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Meet Fridays, Botley Baptist Hall Contact: Julie Tatham

01865 863074 or Amy Cusden 07887 654386

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Badminton Club

Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark

0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@ sky.com or Brendan

Byrne Ox.792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com

Botley Health Walks

Wednesday 9.30 a.m Contact: Briony 246497

Botley Library

01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Singers

Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela

Astley-Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com

Chair-based Exercise Class

Tuesdays 10.30 – 11.30 a.m. Seacourt Hall

Contact Lizzie, Oxon Age UK, 07785 425601

Community Fridge

For all. Put food in, take food out. Ss P&P church, Mon–

Sat 9–5, Sun 11–5. Riki Therivel 07759 135811

Cumnor Choral Society

Friday 7.30 to 9.30 pm Contact: 01235 533726 or

07552 786127 or www.cumnorchoral.co.uk

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

862788 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District Historical

Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old

School. 01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

Details on website at http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or

phone Chris Impey, 01865 721026

Fit Steps – exercise based

on dance

Friday 6–7pm, Seacourt Hall. Email Rosalie on

rosalie.crane@btinternet.com

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton village hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call

01865-863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Let’s Sing! – singing group

Weds 2pm, WOCC, details Emily 07969 522368

or email emformusic@outlook.com

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

Mum and Baby Yoga for

babies from 6 wks to crawling

Mondays 10.30 at Dean Court CC, contact Jacqueline

Rice via https://yogawithjacqueline.co.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare Clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am –6.00 pm. 01865 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends. Contact Voirrey Carr

07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Horticultural Soc

Contact: Ann Dykes Ox 251821 anndykes@hotmail.com

N Hinksey Parish Council

Alan Stone 01865 861992 nhpcclerk@msn.com

N Hinksey Youth Club

Wednesdays at Arnold's Way pavilion, call Daz on

07791 212866 or see Facebook

Over Sixties Lunch Club

Every other Thursday. Seacourt Hall. Viv Smith 01865

241539 or Jackie Warner 01865 721386

Oxford Flood Alliance

R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging Club

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice

monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis

Club, N Hinksey

Family club: Melanie Riste 848658 or

melanie_riste@hotmail.com

Parkinson’s Disease Soc

Contact: Pen Keyte, Branch Secretary 01865 556032.

Raleigh Park, Friends of

David Brown raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Royal Voluntary Service

(West Way Day Centre)

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Saturdads

Botley Bridges

Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s

10 am–noon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955

Seacourt Hall management

committee

Contact: Michael Cockman 07766 317691

michael.cockman@gmail.com.

Shotokan Karate club

6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall Banso

tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

West Oxford Bowls Club

Contact: Marion Bostock 436277

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

07815 899698 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

Which Craft?

Pavilion, Arnold’s way, fourth Monday, contact

whichcraft.botley@yahoo.co.uk

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Liz Manson, 244175 email liz.manson@virginmedia.com